Collaboration of GEIDAI FACTORY LAB and WOW! Lab

Fuori Salone 2018 / RESONANCE MATERIALS Project

About the displayed works

Fuori Salone 2018, Milan Design Week 2018, 17th to 22nd April 2018

GEIDAI FACTORY LAB (Chief Manager, Fujiwara Nobuyuki / Tokyo University of the Arts) and WOW! Lab (Chief Manager, Tatsunori Fukuda / Murayama Inc.) collaborate in their exploration of the theme: "Making an Impression by integral effect of sound, color and medium." This year, we are excited for the opportunity to exhibit our works based on this theme at the "Milan Design Week 2018, Fuori Salone 2018"

Five emerging artists belonging to GEIDAI FACTORY LAB at Toride Campus of Tokyo University of the Arts will present the space as the wonder of creation combining different materials through their craftsmanship and Japanese traditional aesthetics with the support of WOW! Lab. They will present the Japanese aesthetic sensual space, "EXPERIENCE Design" in Tortona, Milan, where works of art from across the globe are exhibited.

We look forward to seeing how the materials will resonate with each other and how people will react to the impression. We hope they will enjoy the experience of the "RESONANCE MATERIALS Project," which is an industry and academia joint research project.

The Pursuit of Human Emotion

We were connected through a sort of "karma" at Tokyo University of the Arts, and that is where the project of "connections between people=shared sympathy" through art was started. We believe that the generation of emotion and the necessary research activities lead to more and more new connections, which is in fact the essence of inspiration.

For this reason, we have deliberately chosen Milano, a place where many people who do not know us will gather. How will Japanese art be understood? What kind of connections will it bring about? Furthermore, how will it be perceived from Japan? Through this project we plan to test the theory of EXPERIENCE Design.

Press Preview Day

Project concept

Five emerging artists belonging to GEIDAI FACTORY LAB of Tokyo University of the Arts, with the support of WOW! Lab, will, through the redevelopment of traditional Japanese aesthetics and craftsmanship and the combination of materials, suggest the potential of the amalgamation of these elements. They will present the Japanese aesthetic sensorial space, "EXPERIENCE Design", creating shared experiences for those visiting the space together.

The Passions in RESONANCE MATERIALS Project

Therefore the materials influence the interior space through the art piece itself and the effect this has on the body.

Japanese religion is based on polytheism. “God of eight million” is a phrase which expresses what we Japanese believe and means that every object possesses the spirit. Art is originally the method of conveying the spirit into the object. Today our lifestyle is rapidly changing in a way that we cannot quite grasp because technology and IOT develops outside of our personal control. Within such a reality, to what degree can we actually rely on our physical senses?

This project encourages us to shift our perspective onto tangible material as opposed to the societal view which is dominated by the virtual medium. We mediate through art and try to realize the revival of the sensory experience and convey the character of resistance to being shaped and formed that the materials inherently posess. By being sensitive to the inner voice of the materials; glass, cloisonné, stone, manicure, steel, brass, stainless steel, wood (camphor tree, Japanese cypress etc.), the process of creating the pieces become an integral part of the art object. This approach may be valuable in forming a better understanding of the materials themselves and thereby a better understanding of the objects created. Our aim is to connect and create a platform for cooperation with all who are intrigued by the concept of this project. This project begins here in Milan Design Week 2018 by perceiving the internal communication of the materials from the Japanese point of view.

Please touch and interact with the pieces.

When touching the objects, it is more than just the materials that are being experienced. The objects resonate with the complex handling performed by the artist, the traditional techniques used to combine the materials and the artists’ creativity. This evokes a value of sympathy to the processes and materials between the works and the audience.

In this project, the shared moments experienced by the audience within the space and with their interaction with the objects assists in the recognition of the value of such experiences and encourage the pursuit of similar future events.

Project Member

GEIDAI FACTORY LAB

By using our facilities and artistic skills, we collaborate on various types of projects with organizations outside of our lab. Our goal is to research the value of creation from different points of view and share our discoveries with the community.

WOW! Lab

Our goal is to explore ways of capturing an individual’s most impactful experiences, revealing their value and aiming to enrich the minds of our society. The research the realization and universalisation of the emotion which doesn’t have shape. Discover the concept of the emotional barrier and share social knowledge and try to make society rich with those emotions.

Nobuyuki Fujiwara

Through the expansive history of mankind, humans have continually developed skills. If we call the moment when man began creating objects as the beginning of mankind, the development of those skills originate from the moment of being born and are continually passed on to the following generations. The experiences gained through this process have also contributed to the forming of human thought.

Tatsunori Fukuda

Chief Manager, WOW! LAB
Producer, RESONANCE MATERALS Project

What does it mean to feel? Feeling things and sharing with others is what it means to have connection.
The art works would stimulate people’s emotions and influence the atmosphere of a room by simply existing.
By actively engaging your senses, you are able to connect with the elements around you, such as people, atmosphere, objects and moments.

Kazumasa Saegusa

Director, GEIDAI FACTORY LAB
Producer, RESONANCE MATERALS Project

As babies, we all explored the world through our senses; touched and sniffed and confirmed the existence of things with our mouths. We understood the “voice” of the material through technical pursuit to then release that understanding in the form of expression. Let’s go on a journey through the material forest together.

Fumiyoshi Sato

WOW! Lab
Creative Director , RESONANCE MATERIALS Project

To design for the emotions and experiences of the people who find themselves at the space where humans and objects intersect. He works with concept-construction by seeking to visualize the creation process of the art piece as the final image.

Art and Artist in RESONANCE MATERIALS Project

anima

Glass & Metal & Light

Encapsulated form that is spontaneously created during the process of melting metal inside honey-like glass at 1200°.
A transparent object that is created between arbitrary and action whilst forming the shape from the liquid to the solid; as if the first living creature born on the unknown planet.
Solid glass, emitting light like a living creature, responding to external sounds, it starts to communicate with you.

Wood grown perpendicular to the ground is formed by a lathe and cut in half. The time encapsulated within the wood is converted to a scent that expands throughout the space.
What will appear from the scent? A form, an outline or a footprint from the act?
The ladder cut in two pieces. When a piece is inverted and the ladder converted into a stepladder, will you perceive what is around you differently?

Woodwork Hiroto Fujiwara

- Born in 1982, Tokyo, Japan
- M.F.A. in Woodworking, Department of Crafts, Tokyo University of the Arts

Shimmer

Steel & Wood & Sound

Swaying and swaying, twinkling and glowing. As they clash they spark and make a sound. Visual sound, auditory light echo in space. When it happens, can we hear the light that is not seen, can we see the sound that is not heard?

- Born in 1978, Tokyo, Japan
- M.F.A. in Metal Hammering, Department of Crafts, Tokyo University of the Arts
- Awards : Salon de Printemps Award

Looking into the Eye

Glaze & Silver Wire & Reflection

The eyeball is one of the most beautiful sensory organs of the human being.
With this enameling technique, which melts and drapes glass on a metal plate, the reflection of metal and the transparency of the glass overlap.
It depicts fluid-like freshness and light, exactly like the eyeball.
Eyes are said to be the windows to your mind. What do your eyes reflect? I want you to look into your own eyes.

"Today again, I said something I had not intended to", she muttered. The words disappear as a sound, but remain deeply in my heart. Her words which differ in principle and practice would be engraved on stones deposited long ago and burdened by the weight of the real world. Please stand in front of the mirror and hold the heavy speech balloon next to your face with your hand. Which word do you want to say, "principle" or "practice"?

Mural Hiroko Oshio

- Born in 1983, Tokyo, Japan
- M.F.A. in Mural Painting, Department of Painting, Tokyo University of the Arts